186 MICROBES AND HEALTH. 



could thrive. It was such decomposing material gen- 

 erated within the patient that poisoned the system and 

 produced the disease. 



Collins H. Johnson, B. A., M. D., bacteriologist and 

 member of the Michigan State Board of Health, says 

 in a recent published letter: "Many epidemics of ty- 

 phoid fever, due to the domestic use of polluted water, 

 are now on record, and while typhoid germs have rarely 

 been discovered in such water, the fact of the trans- 

 mission of the disease in this manner is absolutely con- 

 clusive." Is such a statement probably true, or does 

 it contradict itself? Dr. Johnson next speaks of the 

 manner of proving the presence of the germ in sus- 

 pected water, and adds : "This is a tedious and difficult 

 process and is not regularly carried out by any of the 

 State Boards of Health of the various cities. In only 

 a very few well authenticated instances have typhoid 

 germs been isolated from contaminated water." 



The bacteriologists tell us that epidemics of typhoid 

 fever are caused by germs? Yes. That water is the 

 medium by which the germs are carried into the system ? 

 Yes. That such germs have "rarely been discovered in 

 such water ?" Yes. That boards -of health of the vari- 

 ous cities seldom look for typhoid fever germs? Yes. 

 And "in only a very few instances have typhoid germs 

 been isolated from suspected water ?" Yes. Yet "the 

 facts of the transmission of the disease in this manner 

 are absolutely conclusive ?" Yes. Let a man give such 

 conflicting evidence upon any other subject and he 

 would be called insane. Such evidence will not carry 



